Lisbon to Vilafranca de Xira

Another beautiful sunny day here in Portugal. My legs were a little tired from stumbling along on the marathon yesterday but I had no trouble walking. It was really interesting and varied too. The first part was a lovely stroll along the Rio Tejo walkway. Once reaching the smaller Rio Trancao the trail became a peaceful winding dirt path through charming green fields. It eventually crossed back over the highway and railroad tracks and again followed Rio Tejo. It was quite warm and I greatly appreciated the cool breeze off the water.

I had to endure a couple of miles along the ridiculously busy Highway N10 but at Alhandra the route connected with the best part of the whole day, the gorgeous riverside path. Even though I was getting pretty tired, I felt like I could be happy walking that path forever.

I managed to trip on one of the boardwalks and landed on my left knee, splitting open the same spot I tore open twice earlier this year in Japan. I left a puddle of blood on that beautiful wood walk. In the fall I also landed hard in my left ribs which now feel exactly like my last broken ribs. I wasn't quite as happy carrying my pack after that fiasco.

I wandered around Vilafranca de Xira for a while searching for a hotel. I was starting to wonder if I would be sleeping on a park bench. But I found Hotel Flora and I have a nice little room for the night